Diples with Yiayiades: A sweet evening of learning and tradition in SA

“Diples with Yiayiades,” hosted on October 16, was a sold-out workshop as a part of the Odyssey Greek Festival, at the Panayia Church Hall in Croydon, South Australia. Second in the series of Yiayia cooking workshops across the Odyssey Festival, attendees had a hands-on experience exploring the art of making diples.

Diples are a beloved Greek sweet, traditionally associated with festive occasions such as weddings. The word ‘diple’ in Greek translates “to fold” or “folded.” The name directly relates to how the sweet is made, which involves taking thin sheets of dough, which are flattened and folded, while being fried, into a roll. The product is light, airy and flaky pastry, which is finished in honey and drizzled with almonds, cinnamon or other nuts. 

The evening began with the President of the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia (GOCSA), Peter Gardiakos, and his mother Effie leading the group through the essential steps of preparing the dough for diples. 

As participants watched closely, Yiayia Effie shared not only the recipe for her base dough, but also her tips and tricks for ensuring the dough reaches the perfect consistency. The dough preparation, she explained, is the essential foundation to creating light and crispy diples. 

Participants then observed how to handle the dough before the frying stage; separating the dough into pieces, rolling it into a sheet, flattening the sheets with a pasta machine, and cutting them into strips ready for frying. As the oil began to bubble, Yiayia Effie and Yiayia Georgia together showed how to skilfully roll and fold the dough into the familiar, delicate shape that define diples. 

Once the demonstration was complete, it was time for attendees to get involved. Under the watchful and trained eyes of the two yiayiades, participants rolled, folded, and fried their own diples. The process was not only instructive, but also fostered a sense of camaraderie, as attendees assisted and guided each other as they attempted to hone their technique.

The final touch came with a generous pour of fragrant honey over the freshly fried sweets, followed by a sprinkling of almonds. The aroma of honey and fresh pastry filled the air. Participants were excited to get the opportunity to taste their creations, with it being, for many, their first-ever time making homemade diples. 

The success of this workshop was not only in the culinary creations, but also the way in which it facilitated the education and passing down of the recipes and techniques of Yiayia Effie and Yiayia Vlachos to a new generation. 

Mr Gardiakos told The Greek Herald that the “reason why these types of events are so important is because we need to ensure these recipes and learnings are passed on to the next generation. We have a duty to hand down our culture which includes music, dance, language and in this case, food.”